“You want to kill Monty?!” Iris shouted in astonishment, her youthful voice traveling down the grand halls of the House of Thorne. Mira quickly covered Iris’s mouth with her hand and looked around. There was no one nearby.

She released a relieved sigh before whispering, “Please watch yourself, Lady Iris, this is not the time to be shocked. I need you to listen to what I’m about to say.”

Seeing Iris nod her head, Mira began her explanation, “I’ll start from the beginning, so you get the full picture. The House of Thorne is currently divided between two factions. The Lord's faction, which Monty Thorne is the head of, and the Golden faction, which is led by the famous merchant Adam Rowen. This power struggle has been waging since the untimely deaths of the old lords due to them not specifying a successor.”

“That long! It’s been three years since Monty’s parents died,” Iris interjected questioningly, her mind already cleared and focused. Mira certainly had her attention. Power struggles had to be settled within a few months at most, otherwise external forces would weaken and loot the House like a pack of wolves. For an internal conflict to last this long was extremely unusual.

Answering Iris’s interruption, Mira continued, “The conflict had been going on for so long due to its subtle nature. There have been no violent clashes between the two factions that could bring attention to the House, only minuscule scuffles such as the recruitment of human resources or arguments over the allegation of medical materials.”

“But even if the deceased lords didn’t specify an heir, shouldn’t Monty have become their successor anyway? He doesn’t have siblings that I know of,” Iris questioned again.

Mira chuckled softly before answering, “That normally would be the case for commoners, but nobles take into account one more factor, magical talent.”

“Monty Thorne, to put it bluntly, is trash. He has an extremely low talent for a noble. The average talent of humanity is a four out of ten while the average for nobles is a six. Monty, on the other hand, is an abysmal two. This was tested by the kingdom itself, there can be no mistake,” Mira stated.

Iris was surprised yet again but masked it beneath a contemplative face. Magical talent was hereditary so for Monty, who is of noble’s lineage, to have such low aptitude was simply unheard of!

Not all humans were born with a talent for magic. In fact, only about 1 in a 100 awaken their first rune, disregarding heritage. If both parents have an aptitude for magic, then their child is likely to have a similar aptitude. Nobles are the best example of this, as most lineages have been mages for many generations, leading to an extremely high average talent. A talented noble would look for a partner of similar standing.

“And because of his terrible talent, Monty resorted to underhanded and diabolical deals to keep his nobility and power. This contract was just one of many that he created or signed, all for his selfish benefit. If only I had raised him better,” Mira lamented, her face full of sorrow and regret.

Iris felt it all come together. Monty couldn’t hold his power through personal strength like his parents, so he began making underground deals regarding the House of Thorne’s area of expertise, medicine.

“He probably used the trafficked children as test subjects!” Iris thought, her disgust for Monty growing with every second. Such an unscrupulous person and to think he was only nineteen! At this rate he would become a blood lord, harvesting lives like crops all for the sake of self-benefit. She had to do something!

Asking one final question, Iris said, “If Monty has such a poor talent, then does his side have so much power that it’s able to compete with Adam Rowen’s side to a stalemate? Wouldn’t everyone on his side defect to the Golden Faction?”

This is what confused her the most. Iris knew that she was naïve, but this didn’t stop her from realizing that the world ran on benefits. Even if some people refused to betray sides due to loyalty, could Monty possibly provide the same amount of resources as a wealthy merchant?

Mira hesitated, as if she were unwilling to answer. Iris couldn't help but feel an ill premonition.

“Monty . . . blackmails them.” Mira uttered, her face not showing a trace of distortion. “Taking their families, loved ones, or even friends as hostage through the myriad of poisons he’s developed, Monty doesn’t allow anything except utmost ‘loyalty’. According to recent investigations by the Golden Faction, nearly eight out of ten of his subordinates are forced into working for him.” Mira shuddered after finishing her explanation, covering her face with her hands. She looked very pitiable, but her thoughts were scheming and insidious.

Mira leered internally after seeing Iris's expression between her fingers. If everything went according to her plan, she would obtain the full support of the Union. Then the Golden Faction would get an immense boost in their strength and finances. The Lord's faction wouldn't stand a chance. The Union was extremely powerful and could be counted among the top-tier powers within the Kingdom of Murate, it could easily topple the delicate balance of the relatively minor House of Thorne.

It would then be Mira’s plan alone that fueled the success of her faction. Just thinking of the benefits she would receive made her despondent acting a bit more practiced. She came out of her thoughts, hearing Iris's response.

“Miss Mira, I would like to support the Golden faction,” Iris declared. As long as the Golden faction won the power struggle, Monty wouldn’t be able to do anything, he was nothing without his nobility after all. Iris sympathized greatly with Mira, now that she knew the whole story. Although she felt like some things Mira said weren’t totally impartial, the majority of it certainly was. There was no doubt that Monty had already fallen and was on his way to becoming truly evil.

Mira responded kindly, “Lady Iris, I appreciate your understanding, but I told you all this for you to stop the deals on your side. My faction would be happy as long as you prevent the Union from working together with Monty. Such underhanded deals should never be allowed to happen.”

“I still want to provide your faction with financial support, and you definitely won’t have to worry about any more transactions between Monty and the Union,” Iris stated confidently. Her mother definitely would help her with the money and by supporting the Golden faction the Union would obtain a relatively small, but stable supply of medicine when the inheritance conflict was settled. There was no reason not to support them, whether it be morally or financially.

Mira seemed to hesitate slightly before resigning herself to Iris’s offer and bowed her head gratefully.

“The Golden faction thanks you in advance for your support.”

* * *

A young man sat reclined within a cushioned armchair; his attention fully focused on a wisp-like orb held within his slender hand. The orb was white, not a snow nor a bone white, but a holy, flawless white that radiated purity and sanctity. The young man turned his attention from the orb to a tall but thin mirror hanging on the wall in front of him. Muttering something to nobody but himself, he lightly tossed the orb towards the mirror.

The orb traveled through the air, leaving behind a faint trail of light, before colliding with the mirror. Strangely, instead of shattering the mirror or even itself, the orb merged into the mirror, as if it were being submerged within a crystal lake. A white mist then spread out, covering the mirror in a foggy film that disappeared as soon as it came, returning the mirror to its apparent natural state. A colorful scene appeared in the mirror, depicting a middle-aged woman in a stewardess’s attire and a beautiful young lady with a head full of golden hair.

The young man smiled, happy to see his ability’s control reaching such a high level. His first rune truly was worthy of being a unique ability, able to perfectly display a scene when certain conditions were met. Anyone who saw this would be shocked, the young man’s talent was simply unimaginable. An ability that allows him to remotely view other people without their detection was simply divine! Meanwhile, the two women in the mirror reached an ending point in their conversation.

Monty Thorne listened closely as the mirror projected Iris's and Mira's discussion. Their talk soon came to an end.

“The Golden faction thanks you in advance for your support,” Mira said while bowing. Monty then saw the two women exchange some unimportant words before separating, Iris heading back to the drawing-room and Mira to attend to her duties.

Monty sighed. To think that Mira acted despite his warning this morning. It was truly sublime! Sometimes the smartest people were the easiest to predict. Then again, Mira’s little tattle didn’t matter in the grand scheme of things. The factors that truly had an effect were Iris, and Monty’s uncle, Adam Rowen. Their decisions would be very important going forward.

Monty watched on as Astrophel finally caught up with Iris, pitifully attempting to explain the contract in sporadic bursts between deep breaths. The man seemed to be quite winded after his search through the manor's countless corridors. Astrophel’s explanation wasn’t up to par for Iris as their conversation steadily devolved into a heated argument, one that ended up with Iris leaving through the front door and Astrophel rushing right behind her.

The bedroom once again regained its stillness. The glow of the mirror dissipated, forming back into a white orb that floated towards Monty’s outstretched hand. Monty grabbed it, and the orb merged back into his hand.

“Ahh, I’m so hungry,” Monty grumbled, his abyss-like eyes pointed, yet not looking at the ceiling. In his morning rush, he had neglected his stomach and forgotten to tell the chef to prepare his breakfast. It had already been a few hours since he woke up and considering how busy the day was, he felt like he hadn’t eaten in ages. With a soft grunt, Monty got up from the cushioned chair and exited his room.